Diamond Eyes by A.A. Bell Page B

her heel.
    ‘She could have got that from you too,’ argued the guard. ‘You were leaking glass all over the place.’
    Ignoring him, Ben swabbed Mira’s wound clean and applied a small bandaid. ‘All done,’ he told her as he set down her foot. ‘You’ll be healed sooner than me, thank goodness.’
    ‘Drama king,’ muttered the guard again.
    ‘That’s quite enough, Tony, thank you,’ Sanchez said. ‘Please return to your post. I’ll be expecting a full written report before the end of your shift. That goes for you too, Bennet.’
    At the sound of the guard’s retreating footsteps, Sanchez noticed Mira’s hands relax almost completely from Ben’s shirt.
    ‘Now it’s your turn, Mira,’ she said kindly. ‘Is there anything you wish to tell me?’
    Mira shook her head.
    Ben’s hands told a different story. Using Makaton, a sign language that all of Sanchez’s staff were required to learn for communicating with deaf clients, he swiftly explained what had happened, including a confession of the method he’d used to passively manipulate Mira into making her own decision to return, all the while taking care not to move his upper body in any way that might alert Mira to his covert signalling.
    Finished, he shifted his weight in the chair as if he still wasn’t able to stand up comfortably. ‘Mira and I would like to work out a plan for new activities to help her become more self-sufficient.’
    ‘Okay, who’s this and what have you done with the real Mira?’ Sanchez said, deliberately antagonising the girl a little to see how deeply she was hiding her real feelings.
    ‘We’re serious, aren’t we, Mira?’ Ben said.
    Mira nodded, still unusually quiet and cooperative.
    ‘Well, if that doesn’t swallow the whole cake! This is phenomenal progress in so little time. Did he sedate you, honey?’
    ‘No!’ Ben protested. ‘They were trying to do that as you came in.’
    ‘I’d rather hear what Mira has to say.’
    ‘What Ben said,’ she whispered. ‘They didn’t sedate me. I didn’t swallow my tablets at breakfast either.’
    ‘Is that so?’
    ‘I promised I’d be good.’ Her fingers twisted nervously into the material of Ben’s shirt again.
    ‘I can see that, and I’m very impressed with your honesty and behaviour.’
    ‘Are you the warden?’
    Sanchez laughed. ‘Matron actually.’
    ‘But the others sounded so scared of you.’
    ‘I’ll let you in on a little secret. They’re scared of me because I can sack them if they don’t obey my new rules about treating clients with respect and dignity. Most of them don’t have anything to worry about, of course; but some are used to dealing with more dangerous clients and need reminders now and then to be a little more lenient. Wouldn’t you agree?’
    ‘Who is the warden then?’
    ‘There’s only me. A warden is for jails, and this place hasn’t been a proper jail for nearly a century.’
    ‘But you decide who stays or goes with patients too, right?’
    ‘Clients, not patients, and yes, I do make a contribution to that decision. That’s still no reason to fear me, especially when you’re making such excellent progress with Ben. You do realise why you’re here at Serenity, don’t you?’
    Mira nodded. ‘I’ve got Fragile X syndrome.’
    ‘Fragile X chromosomes, yes. And what else?’
    ‘Since I came here, I’ve also caught uveitis in my eyes and schizophrenia.’
    ‘Actually, we suspect you’ve had both for many years, but they’ve only been diagnosed since coming here. There’s a difference. Don’t you see? These are more reasons why you can trust us. It’s my job to make sure we find and fix all of your ailments as best we can, and also teach you coping strategies for the ones we can’t fix or alleviate. Now Ben tells me that you wish to participate proactively? That’s the best news I’ve heard since I came here.’
    Mira patted Ben’s head. ‘He’s going to teach me to be self-sufficient.’
    ‘You’ve